Vilken betydelse har ett filialbibliotek? exempel Högsby

Sammanfattning: The purpose of the present thesis is to investigate the interaction between the branches in the different villages and its users and the importance of the branches for democracy. To illustrate these points, I have focused on Högsby municipality, a local council in Kalmar county. Högsby municipality is of particular interest in this connection, since all seven of the branches have been closed recently; only the main library remains. Moreover, three of the closed branches were, in 2005, taken over by citizen organizations local to the part of Högsby municipality where the libraries were located. The specific issues that were addressed were:- What needs were satisfied by the local libraries in Högsby council and is it possible to satisfy these needs in other ways and then, how?- Does the absence of a local library affect democracy?Interviews were performed. Protocols from council meetings and newspaper articles have been studied and supplemented with statistical information from “Statistics Sweden” and “Swedish Art Council”. Although no general conclusions can be reached on basis of the present investigation it is reasonable to presume that the situation as regards local libraries in other parts of Sweden exhibits similarities to the situation in Högsby municipality. Thus, it seems likely that the local libraries fulfil important functions as centra of knowledge, culture and information and as meeting place, but to varying degrees depending on the local circumstances. If the local libraries fulfil their roles in these contexts it is very likely that they also are very important for the democracy.